5 Tips to Save on Your Marketing and Communication Budget

Why you as an entrepreneur have to invest in marketing and communication?

Where do you, as an entrepreneur, ever wake up?

I have exciting new ideas for my business that I want to work out immediately.

Or because I worry about the income.

Do we have enough customers?

Is it going as it should?

This uncertainty about income and budget often means that so-called ‘superfluous’ costs such as marketing and communication are quickly scrapped in the company budget.

I think this is a gross mistake that many entrepreneurs make.

The problem is that lowering or removing the marketing and communication budget will limit your future revenue. Marketing is an investment, and without it, your company or business will not grow as quickly as possible. Or worse: do not grow and bleed to death.

So always put a budget – no matter how small – on the side for communication and marketing.

And make smart use of this budget: never just do something because it seems like a good idea at the time.

For example, post messages on Facebook for 10 euros.

For example, advertising on Google Adwords without having researched a keyword.

For example, sending newsletters without adding a call-to-action (= encouraging your readers to take action, such as going to a blog on your website, participating in a contest, following you on Pinterest, etc.).

All these small actions ultimately secretly cost a lot of money, and also time. Your precious time that you can put better into your core business.

How can you get the most out of your marketing and communication with a small budget?

Tip 1: Use free platforms
Being visible with your brand is essential. Fortunately, there are many free platforms where you can build a presence. These are mainly digital platforms. You can create a simple website for free (for example via WordPress, Wix or Google My Business). You can use social media channels for free, or with a small advertising budget, to give your company a voice and watch followers. But there are also plenty of opportunities in the ‘real’ world. Look for ways to involve your business in local events. Check whether you can have it listed in telephone directories or guides of branch organizations. This takes time, but not a lot of money.

Tip 2: Get free advice
Chances are you have not done marketing training. But no need. You probably know someone who knows more than you do. Usually, they are willing to give you some free advice. They can, for example, think along about what is the best social media platform to expand your activities (you can not be everywhere!) And how you approach this. If you do not know anyone, just search via Google. There is so much free information available. You can already start by reading our blog about how to start using social media.

Tip 3: Know your customer
The best way to keep your marketing budget low is to reach as many people as possible with your efforts. You will find this in all marketing books and courses: get to know your ideal customer first. Then communicate. Know what story you want to tell. This is not an easy exercise. It takes some time and effort. Often the problem is that you have been busy with your business for too long to know what customers want. Our blog about the importance of a healthy company story gives you some tips to determine your target group.

Tip 4: Keep it simple
Upon hearing this tip, many entrepreneurs sigh a sigh of relief. What nobody has time. And nobody wants to lose time. Keep your marketing and communication simple. Do not improve, optimize or adjust things if they are good enough. I know, it is difficult, because we all tend to continue working on something we have mastered well instead of moving on to the next. The greatest time-consuming is perfectionism. So go for an 8 and not a 10.

Tip 5: do it – usually – yourself
It is entirely possible to do all marketing and communication yourself if you are an SME or self-employed. The social media platforms, for example, are accessible to everyone and (usually) easy to use. The only thing that costs you is time: to learn it (you will find plenty of information online) and time to implement your marketing strategy. However, if you have no sense where to start, you encounter a problem, or you think it all takes too much time and you do not see any results, then you better ask a professional for advice. A professional only does a few hours about something that you would probably spend days on. Those hours are ultimately not worth it.

Conclusion: marketing and communication, it does not have to be expensive
It is not that spending a lot of money on marketing and communication always leads to excellent results. It is about using your money efficiently and smartly. Marketing, therefore, does not have to be expensive. With these 5 tips, it is possible to achieve good results with a limited budget.